engineering and manufacturing
Pune briefing links the company’s Make in India work with a new global capability centre and its reach into Gulf markets
PUNE, 28 October 2026: Southco President Thomas Mehler met journalists at the company’s Viman Nagar office in Pune and set out a wider role for India in the business’s global network. His presentation connected three developments: a stronger local manufacturing base, a global capability centre established in India this year, and Southco and Darshana’s presence in Gulf markets. Prakash T. John, Country Head, Southco India, and Veeresh Manrai, General Manager, Business Development, Southco India, joined the press meet and the discussion with media representatives.
For Mehler, the India story is part of his own history at Southco. He joined the company in 1990 and went on to lead its businesses in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas before becoming president in 2016. While leading Asia Pacific, he oversaw the start of Southco India. His visit to Pune therefore brought the company’s global leadership into a conversation about a business he helped establish and the responsibilities it has since taken on.
Southco’s Indian presence developed in stages. It took its first step into the country in 2005 and established a regional headquarters and manufacturing facility in Pune in 2008. The later expansion of its Ranjangaon facility added room for manufacturing and distribution. In 2022, Southco acquired Pune-based Darshana Industries, an Indian manufacturer and supplier of access hardware. The acquisition enlarged Southco’s local footprint and strengthened its ability to serve Indian equipment makers with solutions designed, engineered and produced in India.
That connection between the two businesses is central to Southco’s Make in India approach. Darshana brought an established Indian brand and local manufacturing presence into the group, while Southco’s wider product portfolio and international network gave the combined business a broader platform. The company described this combination as a foundation for expanding local capability for customers in India and abroad.
“Pune is an important part of Southco’s global network. I’m proud of the expertise our India team has built and the way it brings engineering, manufacturing and customer understanding together,” Mehler said.
The presentation also described a new dimension to India’s place in the company. Southco established a global capability centre in India in 2026 to support teams in other markets. The company said it is moving its global engineering services to India as part of that development. The centre also brings together other business and technology functions, giving India-based teams work that extends beyond serving customers in the domestic market.
This is a significant change in the scope of Southco’s India operation.
The Pune region already supports production, engineering, testing and customer service. The capability centre adds a direct connection to the work of Southco teams worldwide. Mehler placed that development beside the company’s manufacturing investment, showing how local capability can contribute to a business whose design, production and customer relationships cross several regions.
The products themselves explain why local knowledge matters.
Southco supplies access hardware such as latches, hinges, locks, handles, fasteners and electronic access systems. Its presentation showed how standard products can be supplied from a catalogue, adapted for a particular application or developed as a custom solution. Across vehicle interiors, construction equipment and public transport, the component has to fit the equipment around it and the way people use it. That makes the conversation between a customer and the local team part of the engineering work, rather than an afterthought.
Southco identified automotive, off-highway equipment and mass transit as established areas of business.
The presentation also named defence, renewable energy and enterprise hardware as areas of focus. That spread of applications shows where the company sees room to apply its existing access hardware expertise and locally informed product development. It also connects the product discussion to Southco’s wider India strategy, in which engineering work and customer knowledge are being brought closer together.
India is also connected to Southco’s regional ambitions through Darshana. The two brands described a presence serving customers across Gulf markets, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The approach brings Southco’s global range together with a brand built in India. The presentation framed the Middle East as a market for that combined offering and another route for India-based capabilities to serve customers beyond the domestic market.
Prakash T. John’s role as Country Head gives the India business a strategic voice in these decisions, from market development to the direction of its Make in India work. Veeresh Manrai brings the customer and application perspective through business development. Their participation alongside Mehler reflected the two sides of the discussion: where Southco intends to build capability, and what equipment makers need those capabilities to deliver.
Southco Pune base now connects work for Indian customers with engineering services for global teams and market activity beyond India. Mehler’s visit gave those developments a common frame and put the people leading them at the forefront.
About Southco:
Southco, Inc. designs and manufactures engineered access solutions for equipment makers worldwide. Its portfolio includes mechanical and electronic latches, hinges, fasteners, handles and positioning products used in transportation, industrial equipment, medical devices and other applications. Part of the TouchPoint group of companies, Southco operates across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, with an established manufacturing and engineering presence in India.